beverly hills dentist Divided by emotions and science, Pinellas County commissioners made a decision to stop adding fluoride to normal water in the group of tense 4-3 votes.
A drive by dentists to oust two commissioners behind the move is here not surprisingly.
Less predictable: Implications that Commissioner Ken Welch, a fluoride supporter, is aiding dentists' tries to unseat his colleagues, Nancy Bostock and Neil Brickfield.
A chain of emails reveal a small grouping of local dentists' call to donate to Welch's re-election being a "cornerstone" with the effort, ways to lobby to get a reversal of the fluoride decision, and biting criticism of Commissioner Norm Roche, a fluoride critic, as a possible "uneducated fool."
Amid that, dentist Johnny Johnson of Palm Harbor wrote that he attended a Welch fund-raiser and was seeking potential election rivals for Bostock and Brickfield, Republicans who voted against adding fluoride.
"We must ROCK & ROLL!!! Help!!!!!" Johnson wrote.
However, if he hit send Jan. 27, Johnson inexplicably emailed the tactic to Roche.
beverly hills dentistRoche read the email and saw proof a political campaign involving one colleague (Welch) against another rather than further discussion about improving dental treatments in the county.
"I cannot and does not - either directly or indirectly - be connected with any opposition effort against any one of my Board colleagues," Roche warned inside a Sunday email.
Roche, a Republican who recently joined the county's Election Canvassing Board, cited that role being a legal requirement for distancing himself from the activity linked to political campaigning.
Roche didn't return an email seeking comment, and Johnson wouldn't accept be interviewed about the email.
Brickfield expressed surprise to get read that Welch could are likely involved in the campaign against him.
"There's long been a culture about the Pinellas County Commission that incumbents do not get associated with races with other incumbents," said Brickfield.
The dentists haven't registered a political action committee, however they have met regularly concerning how to upend the vote. Most health experts credit fluoride with helping improve oral health for years.
The group split and failed to back a referendum to overturn the fluoride votes. Welch, a fluoride supporter and also the board's only Democrat, opposed a ballot measure as risky. He's caused it to be pay off the 2012 election will be a referendum on fluoride.
dentist beverly hills"I'm not organizing every other campaign, I'm organizing my own, personal campaign," Welch said. "Other candidates are coming forward for their own reasons, and it is not a secret that the removing fluoride is a big issue in this county."
Johnson attended Welch's campaign kickoff Jan. 26, and wrote that Welch's "first point" in his speech was fluoride. Johnson recommended lining up experts to fulfill with commissioners to raised explain fluoridation. Also, he urged contributions to Commissioner Karen Seel, a Republican who backed fluoridation, and Welch.
Another attendee, Mark Weinkrantz, a Democrat on East Lake's fire commission, said Welch never spoke a good agenda to oust Brickfield or Bostock.
"As far as Ken being associated with any operation? I know Ken has preferences who he would work with, I'm sure anybody would," said Weinkrantz.
At Welch's campaign kickoff on the Hangar Restaurant in St. Petersburg, Johnson met former state Sen. Charlie Justice, a Democrat, whose expected run for that commission spawned from anger on the fluoride vote. Johnson also attempted to touch base with former lawmaker Janet Long, another Democrat considered more likely to run for commission after the fluoride votes. But she wasn't around.
They'd face Bostock and Brickfield, respectively.
After Johnson's initial email, rhetoric escalated. Roche chided dentists' dedication to helping poor children when most don't accept Medicaid patients. Johnson replied with an apology and worried the email would impugn the dentists' effort as "poor and under-handed."
Then dentist Ed Hopwood of Clearwater - who denies any Welch involvement organizing opposition - upped the ante against Roche.
"He is definitely an uneducated fool that is playing the political game to the better of his ability," Hopwood wrote, zinging Roche to be "incapable of getting past senior high school."
Concluded Hopwood: "Hang inside, we will be better off when Roche has stopped being at work."
Roche expires in 2014.
Bostock brushed off of the re-election threat, saying she can defend her vote as giving people "individual freedom" to select whether to consume fluoride.
But after acrimony dominated the commission next year, she hopes for a far more civil tone before November's election.
"We don't actually need all of this type of infighting," she said, "because it won't serve anyone."